Welcome to the AskPatty.com Female Friendly Blog Carnival!

This week's Carnival is a treasure trove of great car news, with News for Women, Tips on Tires, and updates from our Certified Female Friendly Dealers and Retailers.

Sarah Bowman of Mom Logic is shopping for her daughter's first car, suffering with the parental angst of knowing that whatever she buys will be the vehicle that takes her daughter out of their driveway and into the world. How to choose between affordable, reliable, practical, and sporty? That's a mother's dilemma, and she suggests that if the design gurus at General Motors can figure out this conundrum, they'll have moms lining up with their checkbooks; she thinks it might just solve their cash-flow problem, too.

Basketball loving ladies will be pleased to know that for the third straight year, Yokohama is sponsoring two of the NBA's top teams: the Boston Celtics and San Antonio Spurs. "NBA basketball has enormous appeal in the U.S. and globally," said Denlein, "and the championship-caliber Spurs and the Celtics are two of the league's most popular teams. For Yokohama, the NBA is an excellent platform to showcase our world-class lineup of tires, including ADVAN, S.drive, Parada, Geolandar, AVID - including the all-new AVID ENVigor - and the eco-friendly orange oil-infused dB Super E-spec. All the tie-ins we're doing with the Spurs and Celtics will be slam dunks with our dealers and their customers in these markets." Yokohama is a strong supporter of the tire care and safety guidelines established by the Rubber Manufacturers Association and the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration. Details can be found in the "Tire Care & Safety" section at www.yokohamatire.com.

Brad Herman of hybridcars.com asks whether Toyota's Prius brake recall  is a safety issue or simply evidence that regenerative brakes feel different? Did media coverage of Toyota's safety issues blur the lines between a potentially fatal problem with the accelerator pedals and the hybrid braking issues that may largely be based on perception?

Baby, you can drive my carbonara.... According to a recent report at HungryGirl.com  this is a meal best driven off a cliff due to its high-horsepower calorie content. If you absolutely must indulge in this classic, creamy, bacon-loaded dish, Hungry Girl offers a more-efficient model that will help keep the extra junk out of your trunk.

Hyundai is still riding a huge wave of publicity from its Super Bowl spots, and is about to keep riding the television tide as the sole automotive sponsor of Sunday's Academy Awards broadcast. According to TheCarConnection,  Hyundai has purchased eight 30-second spots during the broadcast, which cost $2.5 million to $2.8 million a pop.

According to Rachel Mason at Reuters,  the difference between what men and women earn is a staggering 22 percent. Women must to pay more for pensions because we live longer. So, she says, it's only fair that one of the only financial advantages we seem to have over men is car insurance: women get cheaper car insurance because they have fewer accidents! YAY, US! Men moan about this fact, and claim it is not fair that they should pay more to insure the same vehicle than a woman, but, unlike the gender pay gap, which could be construed as wholly unfair, the car insurance gender gap is more justifiable - women get cheaper car insurance because they have fewer accidents. Her informative article contains a treasure trove of statistics on the subject, so be sure to check it out, but bring your calculator or click here to convert the currency from British pounds to US dollars.

Certified Female Friendly Retailers and Dealers in the News!
Our Certified Female Friendly retailers and dealers are working overtime to offer special programs to their valuable customers year-round! Please support our Certified Female Friendly businesses and their efforts to create great relationships with all their customers and communities! Ask Patty(R) and Certified Female Friendly(R) are U.S. registered trademarks owned by AskPatty.com, Inc.

Puente Hills Hyundai in the City of Industry, California, is offering a "Be Green Checkup" during the month of March. Simply tell them you heard about their newsletter at AskPatty.com for a FREE Green Checkup that includes:
    * Check Tire pressure and tread condition
    * Inspect drive belts
    * Inspect engine and cabin air filters
    * Check engine fluids
    * Check condition of battery
    * Check A/C and heater operation
    * Inspect suspension components
As a bonus, a FREE CAR WASH IS INCLUDED, so be sure to stop by Puente Hills Hyundai during the month of March to be sure your car is green and clean!

Lone Star Chevrolet of Houston, Texas, has teamed with local charities to provide transportation and entrance to 1500 Military personnel and family for the March 10th Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.  Troops from Ft. Hood will be marching in the opening show and treated to a night at the rodeo.  Lone Star Chevrolet has also provided free tickets to its customers who want to join in the "Salute to Our Troops"  celebration and show events.

Two Certified Female Friendly Auto Repair Centers have entered a friendly competition with each other! Larson's Service  of Peabody, Massachusetts, and Gene's Auto Repair of Vellejo, California, have created a fun online Facebook competition and each location is trying to sign-up additional Facebook fans. The first business to reach the goal of 1546 new fans (1546 is equal to half the miles that separate each shop from coast-to-coast) will allow the opposing shop to donate a dollar for each new fan to the Charity of their choice. Find out more and follow Larson's Service  and Gene's Auto Repair  on Facebook. Who do you think will win? As of this posting, Larson's has about 829 fans, and Gene's has 633, so please friend your more local repair shop to help push them closer to their goal!

Curry's Tire  is dedicated to providing its customers with superior, competent, and courteous service at a level that is unsurpassed in the industry. As part of their personal service, the family-owned and operated business will be hosting a hands-on tire-changing clinic at its Chantilly, Virginia, location. Please join them on Thursday evening, March 25th from 6-8 p.m. A $10 registration fee provides each participant with a  $25 Curry Gift Certificate, a participant goody bag, and refreshments - not to mention the invaluable knowledge of how to change your own tire!